Puli Space Technologies – Moon rover for private commercial space exploration

09/07/2015

Projektpartner: Puli Space Technologies Ltd / Sommersemester 2015

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Start-Up company Puli Space Technologies, founded in 2010, is a contestant in the Google Lunar XPRIZE Challenge and is developing an affordable Moon rover platform in order to gain a foothold in the future market for space technology.

Product and service:

Space technology has traditionally been expensive, the access to areas beyond low Earth and geostationary orbit has only been available for public space programs e.g. NASA or ESA. Puli Space Technologies developed a cost-efficient rover platform, which is especially characterized through its robust style and utility in rough terrain. Therefore, the Puli Moon Rover is perfectly suitable for the rough Moon surface. In addition, the rover platform is built as a modular system and can be precisely adapted and equipped for different missions. Puli Space Technologies is willing to provide an alternative to expensive space technology and wants to broaden people’s horizon by offering an access to space at less costs.

Actual Status: The company currently works on the final version to perfect the vehicle and send it to the Moon at the end of 2017, which is the official end date of the Google Lunar XPRIZE Challenge.

Market:

According to the Google Lunar XPRIZE Market Study (2013) prepared by London Economics the market for lunar rovers has a potential of $20m over the next 5 years and a potential of $140m within 10 years. Puli’s target group of customers includes established space agencies and emerging space agencies as well as the commercial aerospace sector. Furthermore, the team capabilities and experience in connection with the rover platform technology can serve a vast selection of on-Earth markets. Potential markets include Demining, Disaster Relief and Science.

Company:

At present the company Puli Space Technologies is in negotiation with another participant “Astrobotic” to set up the contract for Puli’s launch to the Moon. Puli Space Technologies, which is named after a Hungarian dog breed, was established as a limited liability company (Hungarian “kft.”) in June 2010 by Dr. Tibor Pacher. The company is about to establish a new legal entity, a public limited company (Hungarian “Zrt.”), whose core competence will be the production, whereas the “kft.”, supported by a marketing agency, will focus on PR and the acceptance of orders.

Revenue Model:

Puli’s revenue model includes two sources of income, representing established market opportunities, analyzed by London Economics (2013).

  1. Sales of scientific and technical data

  2. Delivery of external payloads to lunar orbit and the lunar surface

  3.  

Marketing: 

B2B: The target group in B2B are space agencies, academic and scientific institutions and corporations interested in utilizing Moon/planetary data.

B2C: This customer segment represents private customers of a small, but wealthy part of the population. Puli Space Technologies will offer to bring personal belongings of individuals on to the surface of the Moon.

Cooperation Partner

  • Puli Space Technologies Ltd
    Csömöri út 161
    H-1161 Budapest

Contact Person

Student team

  • Kochen, Nikolaus
    Kriechbaum, Mathias
    Niederhuber, Matthias
    Julian Schmidt

Project-Manager

  • Florian, Schirg
    Vesna, Babaja